There is a point in the life of Lady Zahrā (P.B.U.H) that should be noted. Of course, we do not seek to define her great spiritual status and certainly we are not able to understand and comprehend the spiritual status of Lady Fāṭima (P.B.U.H.). At the peak of the summit of human spirituality and the evolution of humanity, it is indeed only Allah the Almighty who can fully appreciate such servants–as well as those who are equal to them. In this regard, the Commander of the Faithful (P.B.U.H), her great father (P.B.U.H. & H.H.) and other Infallible Imams (P.B.U.T.) knew and could appreciate Fāṭima (P.B.U.H.) very well. People of that time and later and we, at this time, would not be able to understand fully that great brilliance and sparkle of spirituality in this eminent Lady (P.B.U.H.). Not everyone can see this spiritual shining light and in fact our weak and worldly near-sighted eyes cannot see that bright manifestation of humanity in these magnanimous personages [of Islam]. Therefore, we will not deal with the spiritual aspect of Fāṭima Zahrā (P.B.U.H.). Nevertheless, there is a point in the ordinary life of this great Lady (P.B.U.H.) and it is the combination of the life of a Muslim woman in her manners with her husband and children as well as doing her duties at home with the duties of a striving, brave and courageous person who knew no fatigue and tiredness in dealing with the important political events after the demise of the holy Prophet (P.B.U.H. & H.H.) when she went to the mosque, delivered a sermon, took a political stand, defended it and talked about; she was indeed a tireless, tolerant, and patient striver in every sense.
From the third perspective, she was a worshiper and performer of prayers at the very dark nights and the up-riser for Allah and the humble and submissive to the Lord. At the altar of prayers, this young lady worshipped Allah and intoned prayers just like the way the prophets (P.B.U.T.) and friends of Allah did in the past.
These three dimensions are jointly the bright spots in the life of Fāṭima Zahrā (P.B.U.H.). This lady did not separate these three perspectives. Some people assume those who are engaged in worship and prayers are only devotees, supplicants, and religious people but they cannot be political figures. Or some assume that those who are politicians–whether men or women–and are working for Allah’s sake, if they are women, they cannot be a housewife doing their motherhood and housework duties and if they are men, they cannot be a family man and a breadwinner. They imagine these are incompatible with each other, whereas in Islam, these three things are not incompatible and against each other but they are very obliging in developing a human’s personality.
From political, social, and striving aspects, the character of Lady Zahrā (P.B.U.H.) is a distinctive and outstanding one in a way that all striving, revolutionary, prominent and political women can learn a lesson from her short and rich life. She was born in a revolutionary house and spent all her childhood in the arms of a father who was launching an unforgettable massive global campaign. She is that lady, who spent her childhood in the hardships of the campaign in Mecca, was taken to the Valley of Abū Ṭālib, suffered the hunger, hardship, fear and all kinds of adversity of the campaign in Mecca; and later when she migrated to Medina, she got married to a man who in all his life was striving for Allah’s sake; and in all nearly eleven years of married life of Fāṭima Zahrā (P.B.U.H.) and the Commander of the Faithful (P.B.U.H.), there was not a year nor half a year that this husband had not gone to the battlefield to strive for Allah’s sake and this great and devoted Lady (P.B.U.H.) had not fittingly fulfilled her duties toward this striving man, soldier, and permanent commander of the battlefields.
In this regard, although the life of Fāṭima Zahrā (P.B.U.H.) was short and lasted only twenty years, this life is regarded as a vast ocean of strives, actions from the aspects of her striving, struggling, efforts, revolutionary actions, revolutionary patience, learning lessons and teaching them to this and that, delivering speeches and defending the prophethood and the Imamate and the Islamic government; and finally [such a life] was ended with her martyrdom. This is the striving life of Fāṭima Zahrā (P.B.U.H.) which is enormous, wonderful and truly unique; and certainly it will stick as a bright and exceptional spot in humans’ mind–both today and in the future.
